Site takeover via unauthenticated option writes
Published Jan 10, 2022 · Updated Aug 3, 2024
Missing authorization in PublishPress Capabilities and Capabilities Pro before 2.3.1 allows remote attackers to overwrite WordPress options. The init-hook settings handler accepts an unauthenticated POST, performs no authorization or CSRF check, and passes attacker-selected option names and values to WordPress without limiting them to plugin-owned settings. No account or user interaction is required; changing users_can_register and default_role permits subsequent registration of an Administrator account and site takeover.
Summary
What happened
Missing authorization in PublishPress Capabilities and Capabilities Pro before 2.3.1 allows remote attackers to overwrite WordPress options. The init-hook settings handler accepts an unauthenticated POST, performs no authorization or CSRF check, and passes attacker-selected option names and values to WordPress without limiting them to plugin-owned settings. No account or user interaction is required; changing users_can_register and default_role permits subsequent registration of an Administrator account and site takeover.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-25032
- Published
- Jan 10, 2022
- Updated
- Aug 3, 2024
- Vendor
- PublishPress
- Product
- PublishPress Capabilities
- Classifications
- CWE-862, CWE-352, T1136
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 8, 2021Exploitation reportedDecember 2021 mass exploitation campaign
- Jan 10, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 3, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=2.0 <2.0*
- Affected versionversion=2.3.1 <2.3.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- WPScan unauthenticated arbitrary-options requestproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Reported exploitation
- December 2021 mass exploitation campaignreported exploitation
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
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